Internet use in emerging adulthood: Associations with life satisfaction, identity development, and attachment style
Published:
Dec 26, 2020
Keywords:
attachment style emerging adulthood identity internet use life satisfaction
Abstract
Over the past two decades, internet use has been increased significantly worldwide. The present study aims at examining the associations between internet use in emerging adulthood and crucial developmental dimensions during this age period, namely life satisfaction, identity development, and attachment style. Previous studies have shown that there is a high risk of excessive internet use during emerging adulthood. Five hundred men and women aged 18 to 25 years participated in the study. They completed (a) The Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1998), (b) The Life Satisfaction Scale (Diener et al.,, 1985), (c) The Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (Luyckx et al., 2008), and (d) The Relationship Scales Questionnaire (Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). Hours of daily use, specific online activities and socio-demographic variables were also assessed. The results of the research showed that the excessive use of the internet is significantly related to hours of daily use and to specific online activities. Men made significantly more use of the internet than women. Those who were not satisfied with their current life conditions, were engaged in exploration in breadth, ruminative exploration and avoided or felt uncomfortable with close interpersonal relationships, were more likely to resort to excessive internet use. These results have implications for future studies regarding excessive internet use in relation to young people’s quality of life.
Article Details
- How to Cite
-
Karamanoli, E., Tantaros, S., & Pavlopoulos, V. (2020). Internet use in emerging adulthood: Associations with life satisfaction, identity development, and attachment style. Psychology: The Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 25(2), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.25589
- Section
- RESEARCH PAPERS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The journal PSYCHOLOGY adopts a Platinum open-access policy. Submission, processing or publication costs are waived by the Hellenic Psychological Society. Papers published in the journal PSYCHOLOGY are licensed under a 'Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International' licence. The authors reserve the copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of its first publication. Third-party licensees are allowed to use the published paper immediately after publication as they wish, provided they retain the defined by the license copyright formalities, regarding the reference to its author(s) and its initial publication in the journal PSYCHOLOGY. Moreover, any adjusted work should be shared under the same reuse rights, so with the same CC license.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Anderson, E. M., Steen, E., & Stavropoulos, V. (2017). Internet use and problematic Internet use: A systematic review of longitudinal research trends in adolescence and emergent adulthood. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 22, 430-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843 .2016.1227716
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469-480. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.55.5.469
Bartholomew, K. (1990). Avoidance of intimacy: An attachment perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7, 147-178. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407590072001
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226-244. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226
Beavers, L., Bell, R., Choudhury, D., Guyot, W., & Meier, R. (2015). Online time and gender perceptions of Internet addiction. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 15, 84-98.
Błachnio, Α., Przepiorka, A., Benvenuti, M., Mazzoni, E., & Seidman, G. (2018). Relations between Facebook intrusion, Internet addiction, life satisfaction, and self-esteem: A study in Italy and the USA. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17, 793-805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-0038-y
Chen, Y. L., Chen, S. H., & Gau, S. F. S. (2015). ADHD and autistic traits, family function, parenting style, and social adjustment for Internet addiction among children and adolescents in Taiwan: A longitudinal study. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 39, 20-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.12.025
Chen, Y., Kang, Y., Gong, W., He, L., Jin, Y., Zhu, X., & Yao, Y. (2016). Investigation on Internet addiction disorder in adolescents in Anhui, People’s Republic of China. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 12, 2233-2236. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S110156
Choo, H., Sim, T., Liau, A. K. F., Gentile, D. A., & Khoo, A. (2015). Parental influences on pathological symptoms of video gaming among children and adolescents: A prospective study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 1429-1441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9949-9
Collins, N. L., & Read, S. J. (1990). Adult attachment working models and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644-663. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.4.644
Craparo, G. (2011). Internet addiction, dissociation, and alexithymia. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 1051-1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.205
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71-75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Eichenberg, C., Schott, M., Decker, O., & Sindelar, B. (2017). Attachment style and Internet addiction: An online survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19, 170. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.6694
Floros, G., Fisoun, V., & Siomos, K. (2010). Internet addiction in the island of Hippocrates: Impact of gender and age in teenage use and abuse of the internet. European Psychiatry, 25, 414. https://doi.org/10 .1016/S0924-9338(10)70410-7
Frangos, C. C., Frangos, C. C., & Kiohos, A. (2010). Internet addiction among Greek university students: Demographic associations with the phenomenon, using the Greek version of Young's Internet Addiction Test. International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research, 3, 49-74.
Frangos, C. C., Frangos, C. C., & Sotiropoulos, I. (2011). Problematic Internet use among Greek university students: An ordinal logistic regression with risk factors of negative psychological beliefs, pornographic sites, and online games. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14, 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0306
Giotakos, O., Tsouvelas, G., Spourdalaki, E., Janikian, M., Tsitsika, A., & Vakirtzis, A. (2017). Internet gambling in relation to Internet addiction, substance use, online sexual engagement and suicidality in a Greek sample. International Gambling Studies, 17, 20-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 14459795.2016. 1251605
Griffiths, M. D. (2018). Conceptual issues concerning Internet addiction and Internet gaming disorder: Further critique on Ryding and Kaye (2017). International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 16, 233-239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9818-z
Griffin, D. W., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). Models of the self and other: Fundamental dimensions underlying measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 430-445. https://doi .org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.430
Grohol, J. M. (1999). Too much time online: Internet addiction or healthy social interactions? Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 2, 395-401. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1999.2.395
Haagsma, M. C., King, D. L., Pieterse, M. E., & Peters, O. (2013). Assessing problematic video gaming using the theory of planned behavior: A longitudinal study of Dutch young people. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, 11, 172-185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-012-9407-0
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511-524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511
Hong, S., You, S., Kim, E., & No, U. (2014). A group-based modeling approach to estimating longitudinal trajectories of Korean adolescents’ on-line game time. Personality and Individual Differences, 59, 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.10.018
Kandell, J. J. (1998). Internet addiction on campus: The vulnerability of college students. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 1, 11-17. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.11
Καφέτσιος, Κ. (2012). Ερωτηματολόγιο Σχέσεων (Relationship Questionnaire). Στο Α. Σταλίκας, Σ. Τριλίβα, & Π. Ρούσση (Επιμ.), Τα ψυχομετρικά εργαλεία στην Ελλάδα (2η έκδ., σ. 711). Πεδίο.
Kilic, M., Avci, D., & Uzuncakmak, T. (2016). Addiction in high school students in Turkey and multivariate analyses of the underlying factors. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 27, 39-46. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/JAN.0000000000000110
Koc, M., & Gulyagci, S. (2013). Facebook addiction among Turkish college students: The role of psychological health, demographic, and usage characteristics. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16, 279-284. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0249
Kuss, D. J., Griffiths, M. D., & Binder, J. F. (2013). Internet addiction in students: Prevalence and risk factors. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 959-966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.024
Lachmann, B., Sindermann, C., Sariyska, R. Y., Luo, R., Melchers, M. C., Becker, B., & Montag, C. (2018). The role of empathy and life satisfaction in Internet and smartphone use disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 398. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00398
Liang, L., Zhou, D., Yuan, C., Shao, A., & Bian, Y. (2016). Gender differences in the relationship between internet addiction and depression: A cross-lagged study in Chinese adolescents. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 463-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.04.043
Lin, M. P., Ko, H. C., & Wu, J. Y. (2011). Prevalence and psychosocial risk factors associated with internet addiction in a nationally representative sample of college students in Taiwan. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14, 741-746. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2010.0574
Longstreet, P., & Brooks, S. (2017). Life satisfaction: A key to managing internet and social media addiction. Technology in Society, 50, 73-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2017.05.003
Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2006). Unpacking commitment and exploration: Preliminary validation of an integrative model of late adolescent identity formation. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 361-378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.03.008
Luyckx, K., Schwartz, S. J., Berzonsky, M. D., Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Smits, I., & Goossens, L. (2008). Capturing ruminative exploration: Extending the four-dimensional model of identity formation in late adolescence. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 58-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jrp.2007.04.004
Mafe, C. R., & Blas, S. S. (2006). Explaining Internet dependency: An exploratory study of future purchase intention of Spanish Internet users. Internet Research, 16, 380-397. https://doi.org/ 10.1108/10662240610690016
Mastrotheodoros, S., & Motti-Stefanidi, F. (2016). Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS): A test of longitudinal measurement invariance in Greek adolescents. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 14, 605-617. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2016.1241175
Monacis, L., de Palo, V., Griffiths, M. D., & Sinatra, M. (2017). Exploring individual differences in online addictions: The role of identity and attachment. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15, 853-868. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9768-5
Morsünbül, Ü. (2014). The association of Internet addiction with attachment styles, personality traits, loneliness and life satisfaction. Journal of Human Sciences, 11, 357-372. https://doi.org /10.14687/ijhs.v11i1.2727
Salarvand, S., Bagheri, Z., Keshvari, M., Dalvand, P., Ghanei Gheshlagh, R., & Keshvari, M. (2018). The prevalence of Internet addiction and its relations to the self-esteem and life satisfaction in students of a medical university. Acta Medica Iranica, 56, 392-397.
Servidio, R. (2014). Exploring the effects of demographic factors, Internet usage and personality traits on IA in a sample of Italian university students. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 85-92.https://doi.org /10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.024
Shahnaz, I., & Karim, R. (2014). The impact of internet addiction on life satisfaction and life engagement in young adults. Universal Journal of Psychology 2, 273-28.
Shek, D. T. L., & Yu, L. (2016). Adolescent internet addiction in Hong Kong: Prevalence, change, and correlates. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 29, S22-S30. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jpag.2015.10.005
Sinatra, M., de Palo, V., Contini, P., & Volpicella, V. (2016). Identity styles and internet-related addictive behaviors in adolescents. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 15, 1161-1165.
Siomos, K., Floros, G., Fisoun, V., Dafouli, E., Farkonas, N., Sergentani, E., Lamprou, M., Geroukalis, D. (2012). Evolution of Internet addiction in Greek adolescent students over a two-year period: The impact of parental bonding. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 21, 211-219. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s00787-012-0254-0
Σταλίκας, A., & Λακιώτη, A. (2012). Κλίμακα Ικανοποίησης από τη Ζωή (SWLS). Στο A. Σταλίκας, Σ. Τριλίβα, & Π. Ρούσση (Επιμ.), Τα ψυχομετρικά εργαλεία στην Ελλάδα (2η έκδ., σ. 752). Πεδίο.
Stavropoulos, V., Alexandraki, K., & Motti, F. (2013). Flow and telepresence contributing to internet abuse: Differences according to gender and age. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1941-1948.https://doi.org /10.1016/j.chb.2013.03.011
Tsimtsiou, Z., Haidich, A. B., Kokkali, S., Dardavesis, T., Young, K. S., & Arvanitidou, M. (2014). Greek version of the Internet Addiction Test: Α validation study. Psychiatric Quarterly, 85, 187-195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-013-9282-2
Wu, C. S. T., Wong, H. T., Yu, K. F., Fok, K. W., Yeung, S. M., Lam, C. H., & Liu, K. M. (2016). Parenting approaches, family functionality, and internet addiction among Hong Kong adolescents. BioMedCentral Pediatrics, 16, 130. https://doi.org /10.1186/s12887-016-0666-y
Young, K. S. (1998). Internet addiction: The emergence of a new
clinical disorder. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 3, 237-244. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237
Yu, L., & Shek, D. T. (2013). Internet addiction in Hong Kong adolescents: A three-year longitudinal study. Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology, 26, 10-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2013.03.010
